It's the little things in life that can make the biggest difference and brighten someone's day. Whether it's enjoying a hot cup of coffee, receiving a random act of kindness from a stranger, or enduring a commute that surprised you with less-than-usual traffic one morning, these "little things" can be just what one needs to bring some joy to their day or week.

For incarcerated individuals, much of these opportunities to experience the "little things" have been limited merely due to the structured nature of incarceration. But incarceration can still serve its intended purpose—that is, to rehabilitate and heal individuals who face criminological struggles—and provide incarcerated individuals with environments and experiences that reflect warmth and safety rather than the cold and punitive environments that correctional facilities have historically fostered.

CoreCivic's evidence-based approach to normalization is aimed at easing the reentry process for returning citizens. In other words, providing environments that reflect the ways of the "free world" can help those in our care experience what CoreCivic hopes to be a less-shocking transition from a confined, structured, and secure correctional environment to their unconfined communities of origin. Too many changes at once can be detrimental to a returning citizen's reentry, especially if he or she has experienced a lengthy sentence, and such an environment shock leads to reoffending. Therefore, mitigating such abrupt changes ahead of release can likely reduce these individuals' chances of recidivism.

CoreCivic has implemented normalized environments in various capacities at CoreCivic facilities. One recent normalization project that CoreCivic completed is the kitchen renovation at Arapahoe Community Treatment Center in Englewood, Colorado. Now, residents at Arapahoe can access a fresh, bright, and new kitchen space to prepare meals, snacks, or beverages throughout their day.

Take a look at the transformation this kitchen has undergone as part of CoreCivic's normalization process.